On Monday, Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald compared wait times for VA healthcare to wait times for rides at Disneyland. He says that wait times for VA benefits are not the proper way to judge how well the VA takes care of veteran’s healthcare.
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“When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important? What’s important is, what’s your satisfaction with the experience?” McDonald said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters on Monday. “And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure.”
McDonald stated that the “create date” which measures how long a veteran waits for benefits from the first time they request for benefits was not a “valid measure” of a veteran’s overall experience. McDonald adds that the average wait time os only a few days and most veterans are happy with their overall experience.
Over the past several years, the VA has received a lot of backlash for their lack of timeliness when it comes to giving veterans their healthcare benefits. McDonald faced numerous questions at the breakfast regarding how long veterans would have to wait for benefits and why the VA is so secretive about it.
House Speaker Paul Ryan took to Twitter to reply to McDonald’s comments.
This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines. https://t.co/OxfT3AYzTi
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016
The happiest place on earth? Secretary McDonald compares #VA lines to #Disneyland. Seriously. https://t.co/SmvIKqxGKW
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016
There's no Fast Pass at the #VA. #Veterans seeking medical attention don't have that luxury. https://t.co/SmvIKqxGKW
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016
